A/N: Thank you all for the reviews for the last chapter. I honestly think I'm a psychopath because I LOVE how everybody is pissed at Roman for not telling Alyssa. But I mean, I can't make him perfect ya know? I know everybody predicted Heather was gonna be on bullshit with Rolyssa but trust me, I have a lot of ides swirling around in this twisted mind of mine *bats eyelashes* But enough yapping, I think I owe y'all a Selani date, right? Enjoy.
Alani felt like an absolute queen as she observed the passing rural scenery while Seth drove towards their intended destination. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she was sitting in the passenger seat of a vintage Jaguar. The vehicle was so sleek, so chic, so sexy. The ultimate symbol of sophistication in her eyes. She was impressed that Seth remembered such a minor detail she mentioned in passing a while back and incorporated it into their date, a move that definitely earned him brownie points in her book. The moment was like a scene from an old glamour Hollywood film. Wind whipping around them as they drove on the empty road, soft music playing from the radio to provide background noise. A gorgeous silk scarf covering Alani's head to protect her hairstyle Alyssa spent hours perfecting as oversized sunglasses sat perched on her face to block the bright sun rays. Less than an hour on their official first date and Alani was blown away as she wondered what Seth could possibly do to top this surprise.
Her gaze drifted towards Seth as his focus remained on the road ahead. His white shirt was rolled up to his elbows and exposed his muscular forearms. He had ditched his usual slim fitting light colored jeans for a pair of slim fitting black chinos with matching shoes, an option that was the perfect mixture of casual and dressy. The ponytail his hair was gathered into was slightly frizzy due to their earlier activities before they left her apartment but he managed to still look damn good.
"Now who's staring at who like a piece of meat?" Seth chided, a smirk creeping on his face as he quickly glanced to his side towards Alani.
She smacked her mauve colored lips before they formed into a tiny smile of her own. "I'm not staring at you."
"Oh you're not? Well what exactly do you call it? Admiring my beauty?"
Alani chuckled and shook her head. "How about no? I'm simply trying to determine if you're going for a scholarly look with your glasses," she stated, gesturing to the black rimmed eyewear on Seth's face.
Seth's smirk widened into an amused smile. "So are you tryna say I don't look intelligent any other time?"
"Well..." Alani yelped when Seth reached over and pinched her arm. "Hey! You said it I didn't Rollins!"
"Doesn't mean you had to agree Matthews," Seth replied making Alani giggle. "And if you must know, I ran out of contact solution so I had to wear my glasses. Unless you wanted me to be completely blind while I drove."
"No need to explain to me. But I must say the dweeb look works for you Seth."
"You're truly incapable of giving me a normal compliment aren't you?"
Alani shook her head. "No that's not it. I just refuse to inflate your ego like your other little fans backstage and on Twitter. Somebody has to keep you humble you know."
Seth laughed and playfully rolled his eyes. He grabbed Alani's hand and interlaced their fingers together, tugging softly. The move made her eyes lock with his and another wide smile spread across his face, an expression that made the butterflies in her stomach flutter rapidly. Contentment washed over Alani as she felt her body relax in the leather seat. Their hands remained interlocked as they rode in silence, both simply enjoying one another's company. A short while later, Seth finally arrived to the location of their date. Detaching his hand from Alani's, he cut the car off and hopped out and strolled to the passenger side to open the door for her. Alani stepped out, pulling the scarf off her head and glancing around.
"You brought me to a grassy field?" Her brow crinkled in confusion.
"Not quite. C'mon."
Deciding she had nothing to lose, Alani looped her arm with Seth's as he lead her towards a modest sized two story wooden building sitting towards the back of the field. The moment she stepped inside, her eyes widened with excitement. The foyer they stood in had walls with built in shelving that held different wine bottles, most of which she assumed was vintage. Further towards the back a few small circular tables sat in front of a wooden bar. A winding staircase sat to the right of the bar leading to the upper level that had more tables. Clanking noises flowed from the kitchen that sat behind the bar, mixing with the soft chatter of the other guests as they enjoyed their meals. Alani whirled around to face Seth who watched her with an easy smile.
"Now where exactly did you bring me Rollins?"
"Well I know how much you love wine and a good meal, so I brought you to the best of both worlds. Apparently this is one of the best restaurants here in Tampa." Seth stepped closer to Alani and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I almost can't believe you managed to pick out a place this nice."
"Gimme a little bit of credit sweet cheeks. I can be romantic every once in a while you know," Seth replied. He looked up when the hostess called his name, gesturing towards the stairs. "C'mon the best is yet to come."
Seth grasped Alani's hand and lead her towards the staircase, the two of them following the hostess. The interviewer's knees almost gave way once they reached their table. The view overlooked the grassy field the building sat on, the setting sun beaming through the windows with a soft amber glow. Their table sat in the corner, away from the other customers and giving Alani and Seth much needed privacy.
Once the hostess left, Seth faced Alani, smiling at her awe struck expression. "Do you like it?"
"This place is amazing Seth. I'm speechless."
"Well that's certainly a first."
Alani glared at Seth before the goofy grin she tried to suppress appeared. While the two of them looked over the menu, she fought to keep her emotions in check. She had to admit she was somewhat nervous about what Seth had planned when he first asked her on the date. She didn't peg him for the romantic type and feared he might try to take her to some CrossFit Expo that she would truly hate. Yet he managed to plan the perfect date, one that wasn't too over the top but still showed he put some thought and detail into the planning of it. In addition to the surprise car rental and the restaurant, everything simply felt right while she was with Seth. Riding through the rural suburbs to the restaurant as the sun hung high in the sky, a soft breeze swirling around them, Alani got the sense that this was what she had longed for for years. Despite the fact that this was their first official date, she felt at ease being with Seth. She never thought she would enjoy spending time with a man she detested when she first arrived on the main roster yet here they were. He knew her flaws and weaknesses but he still wanted her. He still wanted to spend his free time with her and get to know her outside of work in a more intimate way that didn't necessarily involve sex. And so far, Alani was loving every minute of it.
The sound of Seth clearing his throat jolted Alani from her thoughts. Her attention landed on him as he stared at her curiously.
"You okay sweet cheeks?"
Alani exhaled softly. "Yeah I'm fine. I'm just taking everything in right now. Enjoying how all of this just feels..."
"Right."
Alani smiled. "Exactly. Like us being in this setting was meant to be." She groaned and lowered her head. "That was the corniest shit I've ever said."
Seth laughed. "You know it's okay for you to say corny shit from time to time Alani. You don't always have to be so tough around me."
"I know but that's just a reflex. I'm used to having these walls up to protect myself and I guess I'm still getting used to the idea that it might be okay to lower them around you. So far this is the most romantic date that I've ever been on and we're just at dinner. It's finally hitting me that you give a damn and I'm not used to that from a man. So it's taking me a while to get used to you know?"
Seth nodded. He reached underneath the table and grabbed Alani's hand, squeezing it softly as he smiled. "I know Alani. Trust me, this is taking me out of my comfort zone as well. I understand about it taking some time for you to get comfortable with the idea because I'm in the same boat. I'm not gonna rush you at all. But I will tell you, you might as well get used to dates like this because I have way more tricks up my sleeve."
Alani raised her brow. "Is that right?"
Seth nodded as he caught sight of their waitress walking towards their table. "You damn right. I'm going to show you how a man should woo a woman. And tonight is only the beginning."
"Wait lemme get this straight. Alyssa's assistant tried to kiss you. But you haven't told Alyssa?" Dean stared at Roman wide eyed as if he had lost his mind "She's gonna kill you."
"You're not helping Dean." Roman dragged a hand over his face and exhaled before taking a final sip of his beer.
"Alyssa's gonna kill you, Alyssa's gonna kill you," Dean stated in a sing song voice. He jumped slightly as Roman leaned over and slapped him upside his head. "Ow! What was that for?"
"Look I know I fucked up. I don't need you to remind me."
"Quite the contrary bro. I need to remind you every damn day until you fix it. You would do the same thing if the roles were reversed. Why would you even think keeping this from Alyssa was the right thing to do?"
"It's just everything between us has been great lately Dean. Our life is fuckin amazing and I didn't wanna fuck that up."
Dean sighed and turned to face Roman, ignoring the hockey game that played on the flat screen TV at the local bar they were at. What initially started as an outing to help Dean forget about his own troubles and simply spend time with his best friend turned into Roman spilling the beans about his awkward encounter with Heather a couple of nights ago. Dean knew he was in no position to give Roman romantic advice seeing as how his own life was in shambles. But he simply couldn't sit back and let Roman make a huge mistake.
"All the more reason why you need to be honest with her. Look I know I'm the last person that should be offering relationship advice. But take it from somebody who has fucked up enough with his girlfriend to steer you away from fucking up things with your wife. Things have a way of coming out no matter how hard you try to prevent it. What if Heather runs to Alyssa and tries to spin it that you came onto her? I'm not saying Alyssa will believe her but when she finds out this happened between you two, she'll be pissed that you hid it from her. Especially after all the times you told her she needs to be honest with you."
The bartender placed another bottle of beer in front of Roman which he quickly grabbed. He smacked his lips as Dean snatched the bottle out of his grasp and placed it to the side, shaking his head. "And getting drunk isn't gonna make this go away. Isn't that what you always tell me?"
Roman rolled his grey eyes and folded his arms. "You choose now to listen to all the advice I've been giving you?" he asked making Dean chuckle.
"Better late than never. But in all seriousness, talk to Alyssa. You never know how she'll respond if you don't tell her. We both can't be in the doghouse at the same time. At least one of our relationships has to be stable."
A sympathetic expression appeared on Roman's face as his gaze landed on Dean. He watched the man twirl his straw in his glass of Coke, his posture giving off a dejected vibe. A twinge of guilt coursed through Roman's body. Here he was venting about his issues when his best friend was experiencing more tumultuous problems.
"How are things with Lex?"
"Awkward. It's like we're tip toeing on egg shells when we're around each other and I hate it. It just seems like we're not us. I'm not sure if she has completely forgiven me yet and I feel like she's pretending she has because she doesn't want to leave me by myself although that's what I deserve."
"I told you, you gotta let her get to the point of completely forgiving you on her own time. You can't rush her," Roman reminded Dean. "But if I know Lex, if she didn't want to be with you, she wouldn't have flown to Paris to talk to you. Hell she even accompanied you to Toronto so you could talk to Gretchen. That girl has your back Dean and that's the ultimate sign that she wants to make it work between you two. Things will improve but you just have to be patient."
Dean nodded. "I know. But then if things weren't bad enough between us, I gotta deal with Balor's ass tryna move in on my girlfriend."
"I meant to ask you about that. I saw you talking to him at the club. What was all of that about?"
"I told him to stay the fuck away from Alex."
Roman groaned and squeezed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. If he knew his best friend he knew his conversation with Finn wasn't as cut and dry as he was making it out to be. "Dammit Dean."
"Don't 'Dammit Dean' me man. You would've done the same exact thing if you were in my position. I know I fucked up with Lex. But I'm tryna fix things between us. I don't need some other man tryna swoop in and steal my girlfriend from me. So I simply had to let him know she wasn't available and it would behoove him to back off."
"Behoove?" Roman snorted out a laugh making Dean cut his eyes at him. "Do you honestly think he has a chance of getting between you and Lex? It's like Lyssa says. Alex may be hurt right now but she loves you so damn much Dean. I simply don't see her giving Balor the time of day even with this baby situation."
Dean pushed his hair off his face, his shoulders sagging forward. "I hope you're right. I know it's hard for her to stand by my side when her dream of one day giving me my first child has been snatched from her. But with Lex supporting me, I feel like I can accomplish anything. She helps me see that I'm not as bad as a person as everybody else makes me out to be and has a way of calming me down when I need it. That's the type of influence I need right now. I may sound selfish right now but I can't help it. I can't do this without her."
A tiny smile crept onto the corners of Roman's lips. It was simply mind blowing how much Dean had changed from the heartless playboy persona he had when they first arrived to the main roster to the man that sat next to him right now. Sure he still struggled with accepting his true feelings for Alexandria and becoming completely emotionally committed to her. And yeah he was currently involved in a messy situation that involved him impregnating another woman. But there was no doubt how much he cared about Alexandria and her happiness. It was a stark contrast to the selfish and brash personality Dean exhibited when Roman first met him, an indication of how much his relationship helped him grow.
The Samoan placed his hand on Dean's shoulder and squeezed, making him peer at him. "I know it's not the same, but you have me by your side as well man. I may not be an expert at fatherhood but whatever questions you have, I'm here."
Dean nodded his head and flashed Roman a grateful smile. This time last year the two of them could barely remain in the same room with one another without it resulting to fighting. But it now seemed as if their brief feud never happened and they were once again back to being the best possible friends they could be to one another, something both of them were incredibly thankful for.
"Thanks. And the same goes for you. Don't follow in my footsteps Reigns and fuck up the best thing that has happened to you. Learn from my mistakes and talk to Alyssa before it comes back to bite you in the ass," Dean warned him as he slid off the bar stool and walked towards the bathroom, leaving his friend to mull over his advice.
It was all a dream.
That's honestly what Seth believed when he felt Alani slide her fingers between his as they walked through the beautiful grassy field as the sun continued to set, washing the sky with a gorgeous golden hue. Alani's mocha skin glistened in the light, making her more beautiful than she already was. Seth slyly glanced at the woman out the corner of his eye, his gaze appreciatively sweeping over her frame. Although the outfit was more on the casual side compared what she normally wore on camera, Alani still looked ravishing in his eyes and he couldn't come to terms with that he was actually on a real date with her. He even had to fight the urge to pinch himself to confirm it was indeed true.
The two made it through dinner fairly unscathed, a feat both of them were proud of. Conversation flowed effortlessly between them, highlighted by their typical teasing banter towards one another. Seth wasn't much of a wine drinker but he knew how much Alani enjoyed a good bottle so he knew she would love coming to the winery restaurant and sampling different wines. And that's all that mattered to him. He wanted their first date to be something she would love, his way of telling her that her likes and dislikes mattered to him. Seth knew Alani wasn't used to a man caring about her in such a way that extended beyond the bedroom. But he vowed to show her that such men still existed in the world. If she was happy, he was happy. And seeing the goofy grin on her lips that she was desperately trying to hide from him proved he had accomplished his goal.
"I have a question."
Alani's soft voice interrupted Seth's thoughts. By this time the two of them arrived at a bench that sat deep inside the vineyard. They both took a seat, their hands still attached.
"Well I might have an answer," Seth replied making Alani narrow her eyes at him playfully. "What's on your mind Lani?"
Alani nibbled on the corner of her bottom lip pensively and exhaled. "Why me?"
"What?"
"Why did you exert all of this energy and time on me? Seth you're an attractive man. Any woman backstage would love to receive your attention but yet you gave it all to me. Despite the fact I hated your guts and was involved with somebody that I refused to admit didn't give a damn about me, you never gave up on tryna win me over. And I'm just tryna understand, why me?"
Seth parted his lips to respond before closing them once again. He absentmindedly rubbed his thumb over Alani's knuckles, running his free hand over his hair. He could've simply told Alani that she was an amazing woman that he was interested in learning more about, a statement that would have been completely factual. But there was another factor that drew him towards her, one that nobody knew. But he felt at that moment she deserved to know the entire truth.
"Before I came to WWE and was still in the indies, I was in a relationship with a girl named Ashleigh. We were high school sweethearts and there was no doubt in my mind one day we would get married. The only problem was she didn't support my dream of becoming a wrestler. She thought the idea was stupid and constantly badgered me to get a normal job. So I tried things her way and I was completely miserable because I knew working a 9 to 5 was not my passion; wrestling was. So I ended up still following my dream, a decision she was against but still put up with for my sake."
"Things were going pretty well between us until I got hired by WWE. I ended up having to move to Tampa for developmental and that truly pissed her off. As a result, our relationship suffered and we constantly argued about the littlest things and we started to drift apart from one another. I loved Ashleigh and I never cheated on her. I may have flirted with a girl here and there but it stopped before it could go any further because I knew no other woman could compare to her and I would regret it."
"Despite our issues, I proposed to Ashleigh a few months after I moved to Tampa and she accepted. I knew there were still things we needed to work on but I pushed those negative thoughts to the back of my mind and forged ahead with my plan to make her my wife. One day, I was supposed to fly back home so we could scout out locations for the wedding when I was suddenly informed I was being placed on one of the house show tours to wrestle in a few dark matches with the main roster. I hated being stuck in developmental and wanted my chance to finally show management I belonged on the main roster. It was the opportunity I had been waiting for. But of course Ashleigh didn't see things that way. She accused me of putting my career above her, not loving her like she should've been loved, and she was sick and tired of the shit. She then gave me an ultimatum: her or wrestling."
Seth paused and took another deep breath as the memories he tried to eradicate from his memory reappeared, fresh as if they happened yesterday. "I was distraught that she would even make me choose. I was in love with her but I also loved to wrestle. I dreamt of being a wrestler since I was a teenager and I was so close to accomplishing my dream. Yet here was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with forcing me to choose. I was simply lost and I didn't know what to do."
"So as I struggled to make a decision, I still had to continue working because we both know WWE doesn't stop simply because you're having issues in your personal life. I suggested to Ashleigh that we take a break to figure out if we would be able to move past our issues because I didn't feel comfortable marrying her if we couldn't come to a resolution. I wasn't breaking up with her but I simply needed time to think things over before I went ahead with one of the biggest decisions of my life. But I guess Ashleigh took my suggestion as me ending things with her and decided to retaliate in one of the worst ways possible."
A sense of dread invaded Alani's body as she observed Seth's orbs darken slightly. "What did she do?"
"During the course of our relationship, there were times when we sent each other rather provocative texts whether it was simply words or sometimes pictures. So one day after I wrestled a dark match before Raw, I was called into the office with management and I was shocked to learn that Ashleigh posted the nude pictures that I sent her of me on my Instagram and Twitter pages. Had this happened during the Attitude Era, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But my contract had a morality clause in it that frowned against things like that since the company was aiming to become more PG oriented. So I had to sit there, embarrassed and scared shitless that I was going to lose my job, and explain to management why the pictures existed and why my fiancee would even do such a thing."
Alani inhaled deeply as she felt her anger boiling, shaking her head in disbelief. "Seth, I'm so sorry. That's fuckin horrible."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Rollins replied with a wry chuckle. "Luckily, management cut me a break and didn't fire me. I was still in developmental when all of this happened so they were confident by the time I made it to the main roster, most of the fans would have forgotten about this scandal which they eventually did. The moment I left the meeting, I headed straight for the airport and flew home to confront Ashleigh. We got into a heated argument. Any guilt I possibly could've felt about the entire situation quickly vanished when she told me posted the pictures on purpose to snatch away any ounce of happiness I felt since I did the same thing to her when I refused to choose her over my career. Not once did she apologize or show remorse and it was at that moment I realized, not only could I not trust Ashleigh but I couldn't be with her anymore. So I ended things for good."
"Once we broke up, I submerged myself into my career. I may have had a hookup here or there but I never became interested in dating somebody else. I didn't have time to devote to being an attentive boyfriend and I was afraid if I did get a new girlfriend they would end up resenting me and becoming insecure like Ashleigh. I was content with my decision but then you came along and threw a damn wrench into my plans."
Alani chuckled and shyly lowered her head making Seth smile. "I only intended to tease you and flirt with you. But when I saw what was happening between you and Orton, it kinda reminded me of my situation with Ashleigh. She presented this facade to me, acted as if she cared about me when in reality she only cared about herself. Similar to what Orton did to you. I couldn't sit back and watch you force yourself to make it work with him when it was clear it wasn't meant to be."
Seth wrapped his arm around Alani's waist and effortlessly lifted her body, placing her on his lap. Her arms embraced his neck as he stared into her eyes, affection radiating from his gaze to mirror the gleam in her own orbs. "I had to learn the hard way that when the universe gives you multiple signs to let something or someone go, I should let that shit go. I couldn't watch you make the same mistake I made that almost cost me my career so that's why I was so adamant about showing you that you deserved so much better than Orton. I was simply trying to spare you the same pain I felt when I was betrayed by Ashleigh."
"I see. But what about now? Are you still hurt by what she did?"
Seth shook his head. "In a way, I'm kinda grateful to her. My mother always told me that everything happens for a reason whether it is good or bad. So instead of harping on it and still being bitter, I thank Ashleigh because I know if things didn't happen the way they did, I wouldn't be here with you right now."
Alani tried to avoid Seth's intense gaze. However, he placed his finger on her cheek, holding her head in place. "I told you once before I want you in every way that matters Alani. You give off this vibe as if you're not affected by a lot but deep down you're this sensitive and caring person who simply wants to experience the happiness your friends have. I feel like although we've only been dating for a short amount of time, I know you so well because you remind me of myself. The same things you want are the same things that I want and I'm determined to be the man that gives them to you."
Before she could stop them, tears trickled down Alani's face as her eyes fluttered closed. Seth wiped the droplets away and pressed his forehead against hers. Alani leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, her hold on his neck slightly tightening. Seth gripped her hips as his tongue snaked out of his mouth, probing the seam of her lips. Their tongues wrapped around one another's making them both mewl in appreciation as they sampled the sweet wine they tasted during dinner. Their body temperature skyrocketed, the desire they held for one another increasing by each passing second. Seth was the first to pull away, pecking Alani on the bridge of her nose as her eyes remained closed while she savored the kiss.
"You asked me why you Alani? You might be the toughest woman I've encountered sweet cheeks but I know I'm gonna enjoy every waking second getting to know the real you that you hide from everybody else. Because in my eyes, nobody else matters but you sweet cheeks. And that's the honest to God truth," Seth proclaimed before pressing his lips to Alani's again in another sweet kiss.
"So what do we owe the pleasure of having a legend like yourself visiting us today Orton?"
Randy smirked as he shook Jason's hand, an easy going grin on his face. His blue eyes surveyed the room, watching as the different developmental talents engaged in their separate workouts, some by themselves and others in groups with trainers. Randy turned to face Jason, shrugging.
"I like to come down to get a glimpse of the newest crop of talent. See who is gonna be my new competition in a few years. Maybe I could even hold a quick training session with a few of the guys?"
Jason eyed Randy suspiciously as he nodded his head. While he would never turn down the offer from a decorated champion like Randy Orton to help out in training some of the fledgling performers in the performance center, he couldn't help but have a nagging feeling that there was more to Randy's unannounced visit.
"That sounds great man. Lemme round up some of the guys and we'll meet you in the main ring," Jason told him. "But make yourself at home and look around."
Randy watched as Jason disappeared from his view before turning on his heel. A smirk spread across his lips as his gaze landed on his target. He deftly moved towards the person, going over his speech in his mind. After the scene he witnessed in the club Monday night, it was clear that things between Seth and Alani were intensifying immensely much to his chagrin. Randy had been confident that Alani would've came to her senses and returned to him by now. But after watching her suck face with Seth, ignoring him as if he was some meaningless bystander Randy realized that he needed a little bit of assistance in getting Alani back in his life and out of Seth's. Despite what Alani or Rollins thought, she belonged to Randy. He was the one that rescued her from her shitty job as a cocktail waitress and got her the position in WWE thanks to his influence backstage. She may have hated how he strung her along with numerous empty promises to leave his girlfriend for her. But in Randy's mind, that was something she would simply have had to accept in order to show her gratitude for him providing her with a job she loved. Alani had to learn that things didn't end when she wanted them to end. Only when he wanted them to end. And quite frankly, he wasn't done with her yet. Not by a long shot.
Randy cleared his throat when he reached a group of female wrestlers. They turned, eyes widening once they realized who was standing behind them as he flashed them his dazzling smile. His eyes swept over their faces before locking with an excited pair of hazel orbs.
"Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you all. Just wanted to come over and introduce myself. Randy Orton." He offered his hand to the hazel eyed woman who eagerly shook his hand. "And what's your name beautiful?"
The woman beamed, unable to wipe the star stricken grin off her face. "Zariah."
A/N: A little more insight into Seth's past relationship that had previously been teased in prior chapters. Special thanks to benova13 for the idea. A lil Ambreigns bonding over their separate romantic issues. But wayment, what the hell is Randy up to? I mean y'all didn't think he was going to disappear into obscurity did y'all? Of course things aren't gonna be THAT easy for Selani. Thoughts/Comments will be greatly appreciated. Until next time.